Cabinet for foods or the like



Nov. 13, 1945 a KN PP 2,388,746

CABINET FOR FOODS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 20, 1945 l T T J6 E 8 I 3 H I4-J Z 4 I F7613 Wyn/r 1? WITNESS:

; HWY w Patented Nov. 13, 1945 CABINET FOR FOODS OR THE LIKE ShepherdKnapp, Jenklntown, Pa. v Application January 20, 1943, Serial No.472,92!

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the provision of a cabinet for maintainingfoods or the like in drycondition, the cabinet being associated with arefrigerator in such fashion as to utilize the heat available in thevrefrigerant cooling coils or system.

At the present time, foods are very carefully packaged in such fashionas to insure their delivery to the purchaser in moistureproof condition,which, in many cases, is very essential to the maintenance of thequality of the food. However, ordinarily, very shortly after the packageis opened, since there is no provision made for effective rescaling,moisture from the atmosphere will permeate the contents, frequentlymaking them tough or soggy, and also frequently permitting spoiling dueto the growth of insects or molds therein.v It has, of course, beenappreciated that such detrimental effects of moisture may be preventedby maintaining the opened packages under conditions of exposure towarmth so that moisture would tend to be evaporated from the contentsinto the atmosphere rather than the reverse. In all such arrangements ofwhich I am aware, there is either the necessity for special automaticcontrol or the food, if stored, for example, in spaces in a stove or thelike, is subject to overheatingat one time and, in th case of modernstoves such as gas or electric ranges, is, over extended periods,unheated, so that moisture may enter.

In accordance with the present invention, there is contemplated the useof the heat available from the refrigerant cooling coils of a householdrefrigerator for the purpose of maintaining foodstuffs or the like in adry, slightly heated atmosphere. The heat thu available is normallywasted, in any event, and utilization is made of the normal periodicoperation of the refrigerating system to insure that the proper heatedand dry atmosphere is presented to the foodssubstantially continuously.In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention, warm airis trapped in the food compartment during the operation of therefrigerating unit. During a subsequent period of non-operation, thiswarm and dry air remains trapped, so that at substantially all times thefood is slightly warmer than the surrounding atmosphere of the room,giving rise to a slightly higher vapor pressure at the food whereby itmay repel the absorption of moisture which would otherwise occur.

The above and other objects of the invention, particularly relating todetails of construction,

will become apparent from the following descrip tion, read inconiunctionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the refrigeratorand the cabinet associated therewith, the refrigerator being of a typehaving the refrigerant cooling coil located on the top thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the cabinet inside thedoors thereof;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the application ofthe invention to the type of refrigerator in which the cooling coil islocated at the bottom thereof; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic section taken on the plane indicated by thetraces t-t in Figure 3 Referring first to the modification of Figures 1and 2, there is indicated at f a refrigerator provided with theso-called monitor top a, the latter embodying the cooling coil for therefrigerant which is compressed by a motor-compressor arrangement. Thecooled refrigerant, of course, after expansion, circulates in thefreezing coils within the refrigerator. During the operation of thistype refrigerator, the refrigerant cooling cell t becomes substantiallywarmer than the surrounding atmosphere, and there are set up warmconvection currents of air rising from the coil. In accordance with thepresent invention, there is provided a cabinet, indicated generally at6, located above the coil d and supported by suitable legs 8 secured tothe top of the refrigerator. This cabinet t comprises closed top, sideand back walls, indicated at iii, if, M and it, and with one or morefront doors indicated at It, through which access may be had to theinterior of the cabinet. The bottom 20 of the cabinet is, however,perforated, as indicated at 22, and may consist, for example, ofperforated sheet metal. The interior of the cabinet may be sub-dividedif desired in any suitable fashion, as, for example, by an unperforatedvertical partition 2i and a horizontal shelf it, perforated as indicatedat 28.

While forming no part of the invention, the cabinet may be completed forpractical commercial purposes by the provision outside the end walls l2and It of perforated walls so through which warm air may pass to drytowels or the like supported on racks 32.

In the operation of the arrangement described, foods or other substancesmay be located in the cabinet, the doors of which will normally beclosed. Desirably, these doors are fairly well fitted, so that, exceptfor the perforations in the bottom of the cabinet, the cabinetis' wellclosed. Whenever the refrigerating system is operatlng, the

coil 4 will become warm, and warm air will rise therefrom through theperforations 22 in the bottom of the cabinet entering the same anddisplacing downwardly and outwardly the cooler air which may be therein.After the cabinet is filled with warm air at substantially thetemperature of that rising from the coil 4, and the walls and contentsof the cabinet have been heated to this same temperature, there will nolonger be any substantial circulation of air within the cabinet, butrather, it will then contain a fairly quiescent atmosphere of warm airwhich will be maintained warm by the warm air reaching the bottom of thecabinet so long as the refrigerator operates. This condition willcontinue so long as the refrigerating system operates. When therefrigerant is no longer circulating, the coil 4 will still remain warmfor a substantial period, and the convection currents of warm air willcontinue to reach the bottom of the cabinet. As the coil cools oil,however, it will be noted that, due to the closed top and sides of thecabinet, the warm air therein will be retained due to its being slightlylighter than the surrounding atmosphere, and even after cooling takesplace substantially to the room temperature, the atmosphere within thecabinet will continue to be that which entered during the period whenthe coil was warm. While the relative humidity of this atmosphere maythen rise to some extent, it will be evident that in the next operation,when that air is cooler than the warm air rising from the coil 4, itwill be displaced, again by warm air, carrying with it, in general, somemoisture evaporated from the food, or at any rate, with the net result,for overall operation, that at least no moisture will be condensed onthe food. Thus through repeated cycles of operation, the food tendsrepeatedly to lose, rather than to gain, moisture without, however,being'subjected to over-heating or such over-drying as might also tendto spoil its palatabillty.

While, if the refrigerator were turned off com- .pletely over anextended period of time, it would be obvious that, due to diffusion, theair in the cabinet would become identical with that of the indicated at40, and .the warm air, after passing over the coils, leaves through anopening such as 42 to enter a stack 44, which normally extends tothe'top of the refrigerator. In the present instance, the stack 44terminates below the top of the refrigerator, and in the particulararrangement shown, is confined in its width for the pur-- pose hereafterdescribed.

The food compartment equivalent to that previously described, isillustrated at 46. It comprises closed top and side walls and isprovided with a door or doors of suitable type similar to those shown atl8 in Figure 1, but not illustrated in this modification. The inside ofthe cabinet may be partitioned in any suitable fashion, and asillustrative of a partitioning arrangement, there is illustrated a shelf48 of perforated metal. The bottom of the food cabinet, indicated at 50,is in this case unperforated and may, in fact, be the top wall of therefrigerator compartment.

At the rear of the food cabinet, there are openings 52 and 54,respectively provided for the entry of warm air and the escape of coolerair. The

entrance opening 52 has substantial vertical height. The exit openings,on the other hand, are located near the bottom of the cabinet and are ofreduced type. With the entrance opening 54, there communicates a passage56 located immediately above the open end of the stack 44, butpreferably spaced slightly therefrom so that excess warm air may freelyflow to the atmosphere and thereby cause no impeding of the flow ofcooling air over the refrigerant cooling coils. Located on oppositesides of the conduit 56 are conduits 5B defined from the conduit 55 byunperforated walls 50, though conveniently the exterior surfaces of theconduits may be of the same sheet material. Desirably the conduits 58extend down well below the bottom 50 of the food compartment opening atthe side or sides of the warm air stack or surrounding atmosphere, solong as a refrigerator is in normal operation, its cycles will repeat atgreater or less intervals, depending upon the opening of therefrigerator, or the difference in temperature between its interior andthe surrounding atmosphere. It is found in practice that these cyclesunder ordinary conditions repeat themselves with suillcient regularityso that the above described effects occur, overcoming any tendencytoward entry of unheated moist air into the cabinet to such extent thatfoods are kept in good dry condition, without their over-heating orover-drying.

The invention is equally applicable to the type of refrigerator in whichthe cooling coil or system is hidden and cooling is effected by theprovision of a stack, usually at the rear of the refrigerator, throughwhich a draft of cooling air is caused to flow over the refrigerantcooling coils.

Referring to Figures 3 and-i, there is indicated at 34 in diagrammaticfashion, the refrigerator food compartment containing in the usualfashion the refrigerating coils (not shown). Below this, in thecompartment 35, there is located the refrigerant handling mechanism,generally indicated at 31 and comprising among other elements therefrigerant cooling coils diagrammatically indicated at 38. The airfforcooling these coils generally enters the lower portion of the mechanismchamber through some opening such as flue 44.

The operation in the case of this modification is substantially thatpreviously described. The' warm air produced during operation of therefrigerating unit and passing up the stack 44 enters the conduit 56 anddisplaces from the food compartment the cooler air which may passdownwardly through the conduits 55. When the maximum temperature isattained in the food compartment, this circulation-and displacement ofair substantially ceases, and, as in the case of the previousmodification, there remains trapped in the food compartment the warm airwhich has entered during the operation of the refrigerating unit. Duringthe period of non-operation, this air may cool down to approach the roomtemperature, but immediately upon re-operation of the refrigeratingunit, it will, in turn, be displaced by warm air to effect the dryingaction previously described. a

While the above description has referred primarily to the mechanicalcompressor type of refrigerator, it will be evident that the inventionis applicable to the gas type from which the air carrying the productsof combustion may be caused to enter the food compartment; or better,

such warmed air may be caused to heat an air.

might have slight taste or odor.

It will be obvious that the invention is susceptible of otherembodiments than those described within the scope of the appended claim.

assay i '3 said warm air to the interior of the chamber by reason ofconvective flow thereof without cutting off the free flow of air fromthe cooled mechanism to the atmosphere, said chamber being substantiallyclosed at its top and sides to provide a trap for said warm air.

' SHEPHERD

